Feeding grain before hay

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Intrinsic Worth
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Feeding grain before hay

Postby Intrinsic Worth » Wed Oct 26, 2005 12:58 pm

There was quite the argument at the barn I keep my horse at last night. The trainer is mad that the horses get their grain before their hay in the morning saying that they can colic. I've fed at racetrack for numerous people and worked at TB farms and never have we had a problem feeding grain before hay. Most broodmares and babies are fed grain and then immediately go outside.

Has anyone ever had problems with this? This is the first time I've ever heard of such a thing.
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madelyn
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Postby madelyn » Wed Oct 26, 2005 1:04 pm

Actually, my horses are grained at least a half hour after.. in fact we water first, then hay, then grain. If they are grained before water, they can indeed colic. Also, grain on an empty stomach, if it is rich concentrated sweet feed, can aggravate their stomach and result in something like ulcers.
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Postby Intrinsic Worth » Wed Oct 26, 2005 2:36 pm

They're getting oats, so were not talking rich concentrates. The horses weren't finishing their hay (wanting to go outside) so they feed their oats first and then they get their hay out in their paddocks.
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austique
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Postby austique » Wed Oct 26, 2005 4:11 pm

We always grain before hay. We typically feed a smaller breakfast though. We've actually had more problems with colic in the evening after they've had their hay.
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Postby Roguelet » Thu Oct 27, 2005 6:28 am

As another note, if hay is fed prior to grain, it can actually help increase the digestibility of the grain. Hay moves more slowly through the horse's system than grain does, so if the grain is behind the slower-moving hay, it spends more time in the digestive tract, allowing more time for nutrient absorption. Hence, more "bang for your buck" when it comes to feeding your horse!

As for colic, I think that depends on the horse. Some horses colic no matter what precautions you take, and others never colic even if their entire routine is set up in a way to make them most susceptible.
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Bondama
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Postby Bondama » Thu Oct 27, 2005 7:41 am

I'd be curious to know how any of this would apply to a herd that free feeds hay whenever they want, night or day, and also has water available 24/7. I give a small breakfast mixture of pellet/sweet in the early morning and another one in the evening, which they look forward to with great anticipation!

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Postby Karie » Thu Oct 27, 2005 10:20 am

I also feed grain before hay.. As I am feeding I check the water in each stall... If they need it then I stop and water that horse before going to the next... Then they get hay outside so I can clean the stalls..
and of course have Plenty of water outside!

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hay before grain

Postby mini's mom » Wed Dec 28, 2005 12:02 pm

if hay is fed before the grain it gets the stomach active and makes the grain (which is rich) more digestable - if the horse is fed 4 or more small meals during the day it keeps the gut partyially full and active which is similar to the natural state of a grazing horse - and that keeps the chance of colic to a minimum - compared to its size the horse has asmall stomach and it cannot digest huge amounts of non forage materials at once -

meals that are smaller and more often are better

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adrienne
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Postby adrienne » Wed Dec 28, 2005 8:40 pm

At fancy barn I worked at, we would feed 1-2 flakes of grass hay immediately when walking to the barn in the morning. We would then prepare the grain for the morning (which took ~20 minutes) and then feed it. The horses got the rest of their hay when turned out.

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Postby teb » Wed Dec 28, 2005 10:31 pm

My horses are all fed free choice hay. When I go out to feed in the mornings, generally they still have some. I would never do it any diffrent. Horses are meant to trickle feed. Actually your feed program should start with a good quality hay and add feed to compliment this. I don't have any problems with hay bellies as my hay is good and digested properly and I don't have problems with colic or ulcers. Also I've notices and unfit horse will eat more hay then a fit horse. I also divide my feeds into 3 or 4 smaller meals per day then 2 feeds, depending on the amount they need. A horses stomach is the size of a rugby ball, and anything over 5 pds of concentrates at one time is not properly digested and thus goes straight to the hind gut. This can increase colics and your horse is not getting the proper use out of his food. Food for thought.
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Postby kezeli » Thu Dec 29, 2005 10:42 am

We always fed just oats in the morning. All horses were watered off at 10:00 and had water all night and most still had some hay still in the morning as well so I guess it wasn't an issue. the only colic problem I rember on the track was when we tried to put a "pig" filly on shaveings as she would eat all her straw that wasn't soiled and she ate alot of shaveings instead, back to straw, with a muzzle.